Pine Siskin

The Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus) is one of the small “Carduelis” (thistle-seed loving) finches that flock to bird-feeders in the winter. It is distinguished by its brown streaking and yellow patches at the base of its tail and wing flight feathers. The Siskin is a year-round resident primarily in the coniferous forest in parts of southern Canada, northern New England, the western states, and central Mexico. In years of poor cone seed production in the North, Pine Siskins will migrate south in winter to the mid-U.S. Because of climate and habitat change, great Pine Siskin flocks will probably never be seen again in Louisiana and Florida, as they were in the early 1900’s. The Pine Siskin’s twittering chatter is slightly raspy compared to that of the American Goldfinch, and the siskin characteristically punctuates the chatter with a loud, harsh, ascending “zreee”.

Field Marks:

The Pine Siskin has a pencil-point bill, notched tail, overall brown streaking, and yellow patches at the base of the tail and wing flight feathers. (L. 5 in.)

Distribution:

The Pine Siskin is a permanent resident in coastal Alaska, southern Canada and the Maritime Provinces, northern New England, from Colorado west into the Sierra and Cascade Ranges, in the coastal range, and south into the Mexican highlands. The Siskin breeds in northern Canada and interior Alaska.

Similar Species:

	American Goldfinch:  (Species account)  (all photos) The American Goldfinch lacks the overall brown streaking in all plumages.
	Lesser Goldfinch:  (all photos) The Lesser Goldfinch lacks the overall brown streaking in all plumages.

Habitat & Nesting:

The Pine Siskin nests mostly on the ground in dense deciduous thickets. Towhee populations, especially in the Northeast, have declined significantly since 1966, probably because of the combined impacts of habitat loss through urbanization and nest predation from cats and raccoons.

More Information:

The Pine Siskin has a distinctive habit of exposing insect and vegetable food hidden under leaf litter on the ground by using a two-stroke, forward-and-back, hop-and-scratch movement with both feet. The Pine Siskin interbreeds with the Spotted Towhee, and the species classification is perennially debated.